Children & Teenagers

Art Therapy is usually a very effective way of working with children who may be going through a difficult time. This may be due to specific changes in the child’s life, for example, divorce, bereavement, trauma, bullying, arrival of a new sibling etc. What may be difficult to put into words, or even unknown in spoken language, can be expressed through the artwork or sandtray.

Additionally Art Therapy would be a recommended approach for children who are having more long-term difficulties be they in school or at home eg. specific learning difficulties, ADHD, illness, relationship issues, low self-esteem, depression etc.

London Art Therapy Centre has art therapists who have specialised in working with children of all ages including those with special needs and autism. There are sandtrays in every room for Jungian sandtray work. We offer short to medium term interventions and arrange appointments to fit in with school timetables.

If you would like your child to try out some art therapy for any number of reasons, we would like to meet parent/s and/or carers first to discuss the background to the referral. Thereafter we usually suggest an initial assessment session with your child, followed by a series of 6 sessions. At this point an informal review is useful to ensure your child is benefitting from the process. When needed we will liaise with schools, undertake child assessments, coordinate with teachers and write reports.

Art therapy is continuous throughout the year and is not a term-time extra-curricular. Please let your art therapist know of any family holidays or breaks so the work can be paced accordingly.

Currently providing art therapy to two local schools we are able to offer outreach art therapy and in-house supervision.

For more complex family issues we offer family therapy and couples work.

Testimonials

“I also wanted to let you know that following today’s session S. has been really buoyant and happy and significantly more confident. After last week’s session it was like I was taking home a different child to the one I brought in to see you, in that she was really happy and seemed to be quite relieved – I guess it must have been quite a release for her to be able to speak freely to an independent adult who was interested in her and listening without judgement. …Thank you, once again, for all your help and support. I really appreciate it, and more importantly, S. is really benefitting from it.”

Amita, parent

“Thank you for all you did for us, its good to know that you are there for N. and D., as and when they feel the need.”